


My Fair Ghoul

by copias_gloves



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Bonding, Cute, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 09:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18635554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copias_gloves/pseuds/copias_gloves
Summary: Rain has only recently joined the clergy, and is going on an outing with the cardinal so that he can observe human behavior.





	My Fair Ghoul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HorsemanOnTheHellmouth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HorsemanOnTheHellmouth/gifts).



> This fic is dedicated to @HorsemanOnTheHellmouth, who won my 666 follower giveaway raffle! Hope you enjoy!   
> Big thanks to @dying_deist and @sushiwestern for your help! 🖤🖤🖤

Rain stared into the mirror, marveling at the glamour the cardinal had cast on him. His usual metallic face now appeared to have human skin, with a pleasant olive complexion. He touched his cheeks gently with his fingertips; they still  _ felt _ the same, and his hazel eyes were his own, but his horns were hidden away, and he now had wavy dark brown hair that was slicked back in what he could only assume was a fashionable way for human men to style their hair.

“Happy with the results? I can try to adjust it if you don’t like how you look,” Copia offered.

Rain turned toward the cardinal and answered quickly, “No, that’s okay, it’s fine. I mean, it looks nice. It’s just so… different.”

“I think I did a pretty good job. You look handsome, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Rain looked away then, uncomfortable with that kind of comment, especially from a superior, whom he’d only recently met. Rain had been called to join the clergy less than a month prior, and he was still getting accustomed to life on the surface.  _ Maybe here that’s normal… maybe I’m the one being weird about it. _

“Okie dokie, moving right along then,” the cardinal said, hurriedly trying to change the subject. “Are you ready to go out on our little adventure? I think this will be a great opportunity for you to see up close and personal how people behave here.”

The lanky ghoul nodded. “As ready as I can be, I guess.”

“Very good! Off we go!” Copia’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Rain couldn’t help but smile as the cardinal gestured with a pump of his fist.

  
  


A chauffeur drove them in one of the cardinal’s personal luxury cars to their destination. As Rain stepped out of the vehicle, he saw before him a sprawling plot of land with a dirt path leading to a large gate, and several metal structures beyond the fence were in motion, spinning and swinging like massive toys. He heard screaming in the distance.

“Are they being tortured? Are the damned sent here before they come to Hell?” Rain inquired.

Copia let out a hearty laugh. “No, no, this is a place for fun. They’re screaming with excitement! Come along, there’s so much to see.”

Following the cardinal’s lead, Rain walked along the dirt path, eyeing the horde of humans around them who were likewise heading toward the large gate.  _ They all look happy enough, _ Rain noted, still a little suspicious of the ongoing screams. Reserving judgement for now, the lanky ghoul stayed close to Copia, not wanting to lose him in the sea of people. They approached the gate and the cardinal exchanged some currency for a pair of bright orange paper wristbands. An employee fastened one onto Rain’s right wrist, and likewise onto Copia’s  wrist, and then they were permitted to pass through the gate.

Once inside, the cardinal spread his arms wide, presenting the scene before them, “Welcome to your first state fair!”

Rain stood beside the cardinal and opened his arms wide too, thinking that the gesture must have been customary for such an occasion. The cardinal chuckled and dropped his arms, and the ghoul did the same. 

“Let’s have a look around, shall we?”

As the two of them wandered around through the crowded walkways of the fair, between all the various tents and stands and strange contraptions. Rain found all the people around them rather fascinating; each of them looked vastly different from the others, and they all dressed so uniquely, and their hair came in all kinds of colors and textures and styles. As he would pass by various humans, he gazed into their faces, memorizing their expressions and the way they interacted with each other. As they passed by one family in particular, Rain must have leaned in a little too closely to observe one of the children’s faces, because the mother took the child by the shoulders and pulled them closer to herself protectively, giving him a scowl as they hurried their pace. Rain made a small noise of disappointment.  _ I was only trying to study…  _

“Oh, don’t mind her. Just try not to stare for too long, it might make some people uncomfortable,” Copia chimed in, noticing what had happened. “Though when you’re on stage, a bit of prolonged eye contact can prove quite meaningful for devotees. You’ll learn when it’s appropriate over time. Speaking of being on stage, how are you feeling about rehearsals? Everything coming together?”

Rain looked down at his shoes as they walked along the dusty path. He was hesitant to admit the truth, not wanting to disappoint.

“You can be honest with me, really. I’m not trying to judge, only checking in,” the cardinal reassured him, without him even having to express his nervousness vocally.

“Well… It hasn’t been easy, memorizing so many pieces,” Rain admitted. He’d been up late most nights in his clergy-assigned room, practicing and practicing for hours, well after they’d ended rehearsals. “But luckily, Ember’s been very helpful coaching me on the songs from the previous eras. I think I’ll be ready in time for my first ritual.”  _ At least I hope I will be. _

Copia clapped his hands together once. “Wonderful! I’m glad to hear Ember’s been helping you. He’s not always so charitable, you know. And about your first ritual, are you excited? I’m very much looking forward to it myself.”

“Um… “ Rain got distracted for a moment as some kids wearing face paint to make them look like animals ran past him. When he turned back to the cardinal, it took him another moment to resume his train of thought. “Actually… I’m kind of nervous about it. I’ve never played in front of a large crowd before really…“

The cardinal placed a reassuring hand on the ghoul’s shoulder. “I understand completely. I get nervous before big performances too! But once I get up on that stage, and the lights are shining on me, I let the Old One guide me, and give it my best. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

The lanky ghoul gave Copia a soft smile. The cardinal seemed to be the sympathetic type, quick to offer words of encouragement. Seeing an opportunity to further curry Copia’s favor, he continued, playing up his insecurities a bit more than necessary. “But what if they don’t like me? What if they miss the previous ghouls more?” His predecessors had been quite popular, and Rain did genuinely worry that he wouldn’t be able to meet the devotees’ expectations.

The cardinal stopped walking, and took hold of Rain’s arm to stop him too. With his mismatched eyes, he gazed at the ghoul, his expression earnest. “You shouldn’t try to compare yourself to those who’ve come before you. Here, think of it this way,” Copia said as he took hold of Rain’s shoulders and turned him around to face the row of food stands ahead of them. “See all those people lined up? Some of them are waiting for corn dogs, others are waiting for the funnel cakes, and still more for… ‘deep-fried Oreos’, hmm, that sounds interesting… but anyway! My point is that they each have people lining up for them. Not everyone will like all of them, but they all satisfy someone’s craving.” The cardinal patted Rain’s shoulders. “I’m certain that you’ll have devotees lining up for you just the same.”

Rain bowed his head a little, moved by the cardinal’s words. He wanted so badly to do a good job, to prove that the clergy was right in choosing him to be part of the Ghost project. It made him feel better to have their frontman’s support, and he intended to keep it that way. If that meant continuing to exaggerate his nervousness, then so be it.  _ It’s not lying, it’s just… embellishing the truth, _ Rain justified to himself.  _ It might be beneficial to have him in my corner some day. _

There was an odd, knowing quality to the cardinal’s expression as he smiled at the lanky ghoul.  _ Can he tell? Am I being too obvious? Should I play it up even more? Or dial it back? _ Rain continued to debate internally, hoping it came across that he simply didn’t know how to respond. When in doubt, he kept quiet, and let others assume he was too nervous to speak. It had served him well in the past, and he had no intention of stopping now. Several of the other band ghouls were very expressive and opinionated, but Rain preferred to stay guarded. It was safer that way. He wondered then if the other new ghouls had also been taken on similar outings; he couldn’t be sure if coming to the fair was Copia’s way of getting to know him better or if this was a unique event  _ because _ Rain had presented himself as being so unsure.

“Enough worrying, let’s go have some fun,” the cardinal suggested. 

He led the way toward one of the massive toy-like contraptions and the two of them joined the queue that wound back and forth between metal barriers, lining up behind the other humans ahead of them. Rain stared at the structure with open curiosity. 

“Is it supposed to be a boat?”

“It’s a pirate ship!” Copia answered enthusiastically. “You know, ‘Yarrr, mateys!’” The cardinal closed one eye, presented his finger curled into a hook shape, his voice suddenly scratchy. Rain didn’t get it. Copia shrugged and resumed his normal posture.

“Why isn’t it in the water?” the ghoul asked.

“It’s all about fantasy, inviting people to use their imagination. An escape from reality.”

Rain tilted his head in thought, watching the giant fake ship swing back and forth over their heads.

Copia lowered his voice and leaned in. “I thought you might like it, since you’re a Water ghoul and all, no?”

“It’s… interesting. Not like the kind we have back home.” Rain was lost in thought for a moment, recalling the slender, more simple crafts his clan used. A splash of homesickness hit him suddenly; although he was excited to be on the surface, there were things about his home in Hell that he missed, and he had no idea when he’d return. Rain’s demeanor must have changed unintentionally, because the cardinal was eyeing him carefully, looking concerned.

“Should we try a different ride then?” Copia offered.

“No, sorry, I just got distracted for a minute. I want to try this one!” The lanky ghoul put on a smile, not wanting to come across as ungrateful.

“Well then, in that case, ‘All aboard!’ Heh heh heh.”

They were able to join the next group of passengers on the pirate ship, and they took some seats in the middle. The ship swung forward and back, and Rain was amused at how tightly Copia gripped the small railing on the back of the seat in front of them. It wasn’t like being on a ship at all. But the ghoul did like the wind rushing past with each swing, cooling his skin on such a hot summer day.

After the pirate ship, they continued walking along the concourse until Rain spotted another ride which looked much more exciting: it was made to look like a giant octopus, each tentacle holding passengers, raising them into the air and lowering them, while the whole thing spun around. Rain’s eyes went wide as he watched it in fascination, fully aware that part of his interest was because it looked like a sea creature.

“Oh my, you want to go on that one?” Copia asked, his voice sounding uneasy for the first time that day.

Rain turned to look at him and nodded excitedly.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to sit this one out then,” the cardinal informed him. “Spinning rides make me a little queasy.” He patted his stomach. “But! This is a good chance for you to blend in on your own. Go ahead, just follow what the others do. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

The lanky ghoul took a deep breath, then made his way to the queue of people waiting to ride the octopus. He fidgeted a little, hoping none of the surrounding humans would take too much notice of him. When it was at last his turn to ride, he clambered into one of the tentacle seats and pulled the lap bar down across his lap as he’d seen other riders do. Excitement bubbled inside his chest as he waited for one of the fair employees to confirm that his lap bar was locked into place, and before long the ride started up. The octopus lurched to life, rotating gradually until it reached full speed, and soon Rain was smiling uncontrollably as he was lifted into the air and dropped back down, his stomach flip-flopping with delight. He laughed openly, thoroughly enjoying himself as the ride spun around and around. Several other passengers screamed to express their own joy, and at last he understood what Copia had meant.

All too soon, the ride slowed again and lowered Rain back to the ground. When he got out of the seat and stood once more, he found himself quite dizzy, and nearly fell over as he tried to walk toward the exit. He giggled quietly, steadied himself, and made his way back to where Copia was waiting for him.

“Did you have a good time?”

“YES,” the lanky ghoul answered emphatically, tempted to ask if he could go for another ride, but he didn’t want to make the cardinal wait around for him all afternoon.

“Wonderful! Now, how about we try some games?”

The next area they went to was dedicated to all sorts of activities, where attendees could display their skills or try their luck in hopes to earn prizes. Copia brought Rain to one stand where they were supposed to throw a fist-sized ball at a stack of metal bottles to try and knock them all down. They each tried their hand at it, but it seemed neither of them were particularly good at throwing. 

The next game was strength-based; participants were handed a large hammer, which Rain thought seemed quite dangerous, and encouraged to strike a target as hard as they could in hopes that the weight on the other end would reach the bell at the top. The cardinal tried first, and failed miserably, blaming it on his “spaghetti arms” before handing the hammer to Rain. The lanky ghoul mustered all the strength he could and brought the hammer slamming down on the target, but was disappointed when the weight didn’t quite reach the bell for him either. Resigned, they moved along to the next game.

For this one, they were seated all in a row with several other participants. Each of them had a small water gun in front of them and a target across the way, which, when hit by the water, would in turn make their own little cartoon horse run across the display. A buzzer went off and they all aimed at the targets, jets of water stretching across and making the tiny horses gallop. Rain was laser-focused, holding his gun as steady as possible to aim at the target without faltering. Another buzzer sounded and the fair employee announced that tiny horse number three had won.

“That’s you!” Copia exclaimed.

“Oh, really?” Rain asked, trying to remain humble. He knew he’d won, but didn’t want to seem boastful, so he opted for acting oblivious instead.

“Which prize do you want?” The employee asked Rain.

“Prize?”

“Yep, you can pick out whichever one you like,” the employee said, indicating the items on the shelf above the game. There was an assortment of soft-looking stuffed animals of all kinds, some of them in various, unrealistically vibrant colors. The ghoul eyed them all with scrutiny before pointing at the one he wanted. 

“I’ll take that one, if that’s okay,” Rain said quietly.

“You got it.” The employee reached over into a large box where they stored the prizes and pulled out a shark plushie. 

Rain accepted it graciously. The fabric was incredibly soft, and in a calming, blue-grey color that wasn’t completely inaccurate, like some of the other choices were. The shark had large, glassy black beads for eyes and a mouthful of pointy teeth made of felt. He smiled at it, proud of himself, and clutched it to his chest.

After that, the cardinal and his ghoul wandered around a bit more, ate some of the food (which Rain found to be overly greasy or sweet, depending on the food, but he tried to be polite and eat as much as his palate allowed), and went on a few more easy rides that wouldn’t make Copia feel sick, all the while Rain holding tightly onto his shark so as to not lose his new friend. By the time night had fallen, the entire fair was aglow with brilliant, flashing lights in every direction. Rain could have continued exploring for several more hours, but it soon became clear that the cardinal was losing some steam. He worked hard, all the time, Rain had noticed, and this excursion was no exception. Though it was about having fun and exploring and observing, Copia had been very attentive and energetic the entire afternoon, making sure Rain enjoyed himself as much as possible.

“Should we head back?” Rain asked.

“Only if you want to. Have you seen all that you want to see? Anything else you want to try?” Even as his eyes and body language betrayed his tiredness, Copia was still willing to stay longer if it would please the ghoul.

Grateful as he was for the cardinal’s willingness to sacrifice his own comfort, the lanky ghoul shook his head. “I’m actually getting a bit tired,” Rain said, voicing what he guessed Copia would say if the cardinal was being honest with himself.

“Then let’s get you back home to the Abbey, huh?”

It still felt strange calling the Abbey his “home,” but Rain nodded all the same.

  
  


In the car ride back to the clergy’s headquarters, Rain was still hugging the shark plushie to his chest, enjoying the soft squishiness of it and the feel of the fabric against his cheek.  _ I’ll have to come up with a name, _ he thought.

Though they’d been comfortably quiet for most of the trip so far, Copia spoke up. “You know, I think it’s quite fitting that you picked a shark.”

Rain tilted his head to the side. “You mean because I’m a Water ghoul?”

“Not just that. That shark seems soft and sweet, but what it represents is a fierce, strong creature. Much like you.”

The cardinal’s mismatched eyes were staring at him, seemingly peering into his soul, and Rain could scarcely reply. He got the sense that Copia knew about his strategies, the way he presented himself as more insecure than he truly was. At the same time however, he felt no judgement from the cardinal, only a quiet acknowledgement, and, if he wasn’t mistaken, some strange kind of respect. As the ghoul stared back at the frontman, his band leader, and for all intents and purposes, his boss, he wondered if maybe they had more in common than he originally thought.

Rain smiled gently. “Thank you, Copia.” After a moment, he looked down at his shark, and then back at the cardinal. “I can’t think of a name, can you?”

“How about… ‘Forza,’ it means ‘strength,’” the cardinal suggested.

The lanky ghoul held up the shark at eye-level, considering the name, determining if it suited his new little friend. He couldn’t help but wonder if the cardinal was trying to suggest that Rain was strong, or if he meant for the shark to be a source of strength when he needed it. Perhaps both. Either way, he liked it.

“Nice to meet you, Forza,” Rain said. He hugged the shark close. 

**Author's Note:**

> What a nice change of pace this was, a fun bit of fluff ^__^ Hope it made you feel all warm and cozy (while staying true to my characterizations hehe). Also, please feel free to use the name Forza for Rain's stuffed shark :P
> 
> Thank you for reading! Follow me on tumblr @copias-gloves or twitter @copiasgloves for updates! 🖤🖤🖤


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